Cushioning arrangement for the end of a railway car

ABSTRACT

A cushioning arrangement for the end of a railway car comprises a hydraulic cushioning unit and a rubber draft gear. The coupler is connected to the yoke for the draft gear by a draft key which fits loosely in slots in the coupler and yoke to permit a predetermined movement therebetween. The yoke fits around and behind an end cap of a movable cylinder of the hydraulic cushion for pulling it in the draft direction. The coupler shank extends into abutment with a front follower plate of the draft gear.

United {States v Patent Inventor PaulG.Kinnecom St. Charles, Mo. Appl. No, 742,079 Filed July 2, 1968 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 Assignee ACF Industries, Incorporated New York, N.Y. a corporation of New Jersey CUSHIONING ARRANGEMENT FOR THE END OF A RAILWAY CAR 3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 213/8, 213/45, 213/69 Int. Cl B6lg 9/02, B61 g 9/06 Field ofSearch i. 213/8, 43, 45, 47, 67, 69

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,164,262 1/1965 Price et a1. 213/8 3,217,897 11/1965 Peterson 213/43 3,265,222 8/1966 Goldman 213/43 3,329,285 7/1967 Crenshaw 213/8 3,378,149 4/1968 Powell 213/43 3,406,835 10/1968 Cook 213/8 3,412,869 11/1968 Wallace et a1 213/8 Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman Attorneys-Samuel J Snyder and Eugene N. Riddle ABSTRACT: A cushioning arrangement for the end of a railway car comprises a hydraulic cushioning unit and a rubber draft gear. The coupler is connected to the yoke for the draft gear by a draft key which fits loosely in slots in the coupler and yoke to permit a predetermined movement therebetween. The yoke fits around and behind an end cap of a movable cylinder of the hydraulic cushion for pulling it in the draft direction. The coupler shank extends into abutment with a front follower plate of the draft gear.

-PATENTEDJAH19I97I 3556;311

SHEET 2 0F 4 PEG. 2.

FIG. 8.

CUSHIONING ARRANGEMENT FOR THE END OF A RAILWAY CAR BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION End of car cushioning arrangements have been proposed including a rubber draft gear connected in series with a hydraulic cushion, and having stops for preventing buff overtravel of first the hydraulic cushion, and then the draft gear. It is an object of this invention to provide a simple arrangement of this kind in which a single stop limits the travel of the hydraulic cushion and then the draft gear. The end of the movable. element of the hydraulic unit is held within the draft gear yoke and forms a rear follower block for the draft gear. The shank of the coupler abuts the front follower block. A draft key tits loosely in a slot in the couplet shank and a pair of slots in the yoke, thereby allowing a given travel of the coupler relative to the yoke, and a like amount of compression of the draft gear. Stops on the center sill limit buff travel of the yoke, but permit further compression of the draft gear, until the draft key stops movement of the coupler relative to the yoke. In draft, front draft lugs engage the front follower block of the draft gear. The extension of the hydraulic cushion in draft is limited by the short draft travel of the draft gear.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention will be fully understood from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, partly in section of the cushioning arrangement.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus of I FIG. I.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing the apparatus in full buff, and full draft positions.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the cushioning units and the center sill.

, FIG. 7 shows schematically the draft key in the coupler and yoke slots at the full buff position.

FIG. 8 shows schematically the draft key in the coupler and yoke slots at the draft position, the neutral position being shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawing, each end of center sill 10 of a railway car underframe, only one end of which is shown, is provided with a center filler 12 forming a backstop in which a hydraulic cushion 14 is seated. Cushion 14 is preferably of the type having an internal air spring, an outer stationary cylinder 16 and inner movable cylinder 18, as shown in US. Pat. No. 3,265,222, for example. Cylinder 18 has an end cap 20 held within yoke 22, and forming a rear follower block for rubber draft gear 24, which may be of the commonly used type having a series of intercalated rubber and metal plates. Front follower plate 26 of the draft gear is engaged by the end of the shank of coupler 28, which extends into yoke 22 as shown. A horizontal draft key 30 extends through slot 32 of the coupler and slots 33, 34 of the yoke. The yoke has projections 36 for holding front follower block 26, which projects laterally beyond the yoke and is engaged by draft lugs 38 on the end of center sill 10. The center sill also has an end slot 40 for insertion of the draft key 30 into the yoke and coupler, and slot 40 may be covered by a plate, not shown, to retain draft key 30 in place. A pair of bars 42, 44 extend through the center sill and serve as retainers and draft stops for hydraulic cushion l4, and buff stop stops for yoke 22 at the end of its buff stroke, as shown in FIG. 4. Center sill 10 is connected to end sill 50 and other car structure, and has bars 47, 48 on its outer surface which form draft stops for hydraulic cushion 14. A striker plate 46 is provided on the outer end of center sill 10.

The neutral condition of the apparatus is shown in FIG. 3. Under a buff force, coupler 28 moves inwardly against follower 26 and begins compressing draft gear 24. At the same time the force applied through the draft gear to end cap 20, moves cylinder 18 into cylinder 16 of cushion l4, and yoke 22 and draft key 30 also move inwardly. As the coupler continues to move in buff, cushion 14 is compressed until itreaches the condition shown in FIG. 4. Yoke 22 then encounters stops 42, 44 and further movement of the yoke and the hydraulic cushion is prevented. If the buff force continues to act, cou-v pler 28 moves inwardly, further compressing draft gear 24, and moving draft key 30 in yoke slots 33, 34 until the draft key reaches the rear ends of these slots as shown in FIG. 7. The draft key and coupler are then stopped by the yoke. since the yoke itself has been stopped by bars 42, 44. Thus, further. possibly damaging compression of draft gear 24 is prevented, as is overtravel of hydraulic cushion I4. The draft gear may have a buff travel or compression of 2 inches. The air spring in cushion l4 and the resilience of the draft gear then cause them to return to the neutral condition shown in FIG. 3.

Upon the application of a draft force, when the apparatus is in the condition indicated in FIGS. 3 and 8, coupler 28 begins to move outwardly. Follower block 26 bears against stops 38 and cannot move. Coupler 28 moves key 30 and yoke 22 for} wardly, so that the rear of the yoke pulls end cap 20 forwardly, compressing draft gear 24 against immovable follower block 26. At the same time cylinder 18 moves outwardly, extending hydraulic cushion 14. Thus the hydraulic cushion and draft gear operate, effectively, in parallel indraft. Since draft force s do not reach excessive values, it is unnecessary to provide stops to prevent overtravel of the draft gear, or the hydraulic cushion. At the end of a draft cushioning stroke the apparatus is in the condition shown in FIG. 5. The resilience of draft gear 24 then causes it to expand and move end cap 20 and yoke 22 rearwardly to the position shown in FIG. 3.

lclaim:

l. A cushioning structure adapted to be mounted within center sill structure of a railway car for absorbing buff and draft forces applied to a coupler, comprising a self-restoring draft gear in abutment with the inner end of said coupler and adapted to be compressed for cushioning buff and draft forces, a yoke connected to said coupler and extending rear,- wardly about said draft gear to compress said draft gear for cushioning draft forces exerted against the coupler from a neutral position, a hydraulic cushioning device fixedly mounted within said center sill structure rearwardly of said draft gear, connecting means operatively connecting the hydraulic cushioning device to said yoke to move the hydraulic cushioning device in a draft stroke simultaneously with the contraction of the draft gear thereby resulting in an extension of the hydraulic cushioning device upon draft forces being ex erted from a neutral position, said coupler providing buff movement of the hydraulic cushioning device with the buff forces exerted against said hydraulic cushioning device from the coupler being transmitted to the hydraulic cushioning device through the draft gear, solid stop means positioned to engage the yoke and limit the buff movement of said yoke and hydraulic cushioning device, and means slidingly connecting the coupler to the yoke to permit a predetermined cushioned buff movement of said coupler relative to said yoke so that ditional cushioning is obtained from said draft gear after the full buff movement of the hydraulic cushioning device, and means for stopping buff movement of the coupler relative to the yoke after said additional buff movement therebetween, whereby damage to the draft gear due to overtravel in buffis prevented.

2. A cushioning structure according to claim 1, said hydraulic cushioning device comprising an outer fluid cylinder and an inner fluid cylinder movable relative to each other, and an end cap on said inner cylinder positioned within said yoke and forming the rear follower block for said draft gear, said cap being in engagement with said yoke upon the exertion of draft forces against the coupler from a neutral position and movable forwardly with said yoke simultaneously with the compression of the draft gear thereby resulting in an extension of said cushioning device for aiding the cushioning of the draft forces from a neutral position.

mit a buff movement ofthe draft key and coupler equal to the predetermined safe compression of the draft gear, whereupon the yoke stops the coupler. 

1. A cushioning structure adapted to be mounted within a center sill structure of a railway car for absorbing buff and draft forces applied to a coupler, comprising a self-restoring draft gear in abutment with the inner end of said coupler and adapted to be compressed for cushioning buff and draft forces, a yoke connected to said coupler and extending rearwardly about said draft gear to compress said draft gear for cushioning draft forces exerted against the coupler from a neutral position, a hydraulic cushioning device fixedly mounted within said center sill structure rearwardly of said draft gear, connecting means operatively connecting the hydraulic cushioning device to said yoke to move the hydraulic cushioning device in a draft stroke simultaneously with the contraction of the draft gear thereby resulting in an extension of the hydraulic cushioning device upon draft forces being exerted from a neutral position, said coupler providing buff movement of the hydraulic cushioning deviCe with the buff forces exerted against said hydraulic cushioning device from the coupler being transmitted to the hydraulic cushioning device through the draft gear, solid stop means positioned to engage the yoke and limit the buff movement of said yoke and hydraulic cushioning device, and means slidingly connecting the coupler to the yoke to permit a predetermined cushioned buff movement of said coupler relative to said yoke so that additional cushioning is obtained from said draft gear after the full buff movement of the hydraulic cushioning device, and means for stopping buff movement of the coupler relative to the yoke after said additional buff movement therebetween, whereby damage to the draft gear due to overtravel in buff is prevented.
 2. A cushioning structure according to claim 1, said hydraulic cushioning device comprising an outer fluid cylinder and an inner fluid cylinder movable relative to each other, and an end cap on said inner cylinder positioned within said yoke and forming the rear follower block for said draft gear, said cap being in engagement with said yoke upon the exertion of draft forces against the coupler from a neutral position and movable forwardly with said yoke simultaneously with the compression of the draft gear thereby resulting in an extension of said cushioning device for aiding the cushioning of the draft forces from a neutral position.
 3. A cushioning structure according to claim 1, including a draft key extending through a transverse slot in said coupler and a pair of slots on opposite sides of said yoke, said slots having a length greater than the width of said draft key to permit a buff movement of the draft key and coupler equal to the predetermined safe compression of the draft gear, whereupon the yoke stops the coupler. 